Chapter 47: In the darkness

Shen Shuibi was like an isolated island, out of sync with the world.

Both the cold and heat were isolated from her; in fact, all the Qi that Li Qi himself could see had nothing to do with her.

Perhaps other Qi could be seen, but that was already beyond his observation range.

It was just like how he couldn't see the progress bar on Mr. Zhu.

Perhaps it was already beyond his capabilities.

The power of the Outer Dao was not omnipotent either.

Li Qi tried to use his knowledge, applying what was in the Book of Zhu to reality.

With this perspective, he widened his eyes, trying to see into the distance.

Then, he suddenly saw the light from the setting sun on the horizon shining over.

And he himself had some cloud Qi above his head.

The twilight of the setting sun dyed the cloud Qi above Li Qi's head blood red!

Moreover, it seemed to be breathing, expanding and contracting, still wriggling.

"Green for insects, white for mourning, red for war, black for water, yellow for abundance..." Li Qi murmured, widening his eyes, repeating those words.

The clouds above his head... seemed to be red, right?

Red for war, does that mean disaster?

Is it fake? It should be ordinary, a sunset glow?

It's normal for a sunset glow to be red, isn't it?

Li Qi comforted himself like this.

However, he suddenly felt a jolt of fear.

Cold sweat instantly broke out, his heart pounded, and unconsciously began to accelerate, making his skin turn a little red.

"Is this... a sudden premonition?" Li Qi wiped away his cold sweat.

The divination methods recorded in the Book of Zhu could not possibly be groundless!

This meant the danger had not been avoided!

"Old Ma! Shen Guniang! Get moving, someone is definitely coming towards us! Come help me prepare!" Li Qi shouted loudly!

"Think... think, what did the Book of Zhu say?" Li Qi forced himself to calm down.

He quickly flipped through the book, this time just a quick read, specifically looking for divination methods, hoping to find a solution, or some other means of divination.

Then he suddenly read a passage of explanation.

"Wood thrives in spring, when it gains its time it prospers; even if it encounters a palace of death and extinction in the pillars, if it moves to a flourishing and prosperous region, it is not considered dead either."

Li Qi slowly recited this passage.

Wood thrives in spring...

He fell into deep thought.

— — — — — — — — — — —

Night fell, and the houses and villages in the valley were hidden in the deep darkness, not clearly visible.

Baiyue is mountainous, even this place is called Shiwan Mountains, so most of the wild villages are located deep in the mountains, and the forest coverage rate in the mountains is also the highest, so the surroundings are mostly forests.

However, there is a difference between forests.

Places where people reside permanently cannot be considered truly “forests.”

Humans inherently transform their surroundings, making them suitable for their own existence.

In places further away from "people" and "villages."

Where the "true forest" is located.

The surrounding rocks have huge cracks, springs gush out from within, trees grow profusely, some towering trees are twisted and winding, and some are even split in half by lightning. Vines and plants are intertwined, looking like fragments scattered on a spider web from afar. The air feels humid and stuffy, which is normal; in the forest, dense leaves, tall trunks, and marsh gas can prevent heat from dissipating, causing the temperature to rise further and become stuffy.

In the primeval jungle of the Baiyue Shiwan Mountains, all trees and shrubs crowded together without restraint, completely without order or regularity.

The corners are filled with strange patterns, as if they were inherently twisted—this is a place that would make city dwellers accustomed to streets dizzy.

In such a primeval jungle, the last ray of sunset shone on the mountains, dyeing the original green valleys and forests a brilliant red, as if flames were burning, or as if dazzling blood was flowing down the valley.

The heat of the day quickly receded, and the night wind, carrying a hint of chill, grew stronger, making one's hands and feet stiff.

In the pitch-black valley, this is a valley full of primitive气息, with ubiquitous mossy rocks, broad-leaved shrubs, and climbing vines making the terrain exceptionally complex. Beyond the valley in the distance are vast, sky-obscuring forests, and to the right are several cave entrances, as if split open by a knife, their dark interiors leading to unknown places.

This place, almost untouched by humans, was a paradise for demons.

Vines and plants intertwined, making the path very difficult to traverse; even professional hunters would find it too rugged, and with rampant beasts and carnivorous plants, it was a very dangerous place.

However, in this paradise of demons, a squad of soldiers had appeared.

A squad of about ten soldiers in black armor, and surprisingly, every single one of them had a horse!

Each soldier was equipped with a horse, and the captain leading them had a horse that was seven feet tall, calm and composed, full of Divine Qi, and when it raised its head, one could almost feel its pride.

Among them was a standard-bearer, with a flag hanging from his long spear, fluttering in the oncoming wind, making a rustling sound.

On the flag, there were spreading branches painted, resembling a pine tree.

"Xiao Qi, the last place that Dragon Steed appeared was here, the bloodstains are still here, but he took a halberd from you, so he should be seriously injured," a soldier said to the officer.

"I used Evil Qi in that halberd, he must be seriously injured, he can't run far, there must be traces within five hundred li, keep looking," the officer said coldly.

"By the way, Zhang Wu, your divination skills used to accurately predict locations, why aren't they working now?" The officer turned around and asked a soldier.

The soldier named Zhang Wu smiled bitterly: "Xiao Qi, my father was a rural shaman, so I was influenced by some divination techniques. How can I be considered a true Diviner?"

"But I guess, it worked before, but it's not working now, I'm afraid that Dragon Steed met a master. A master's grade is high, and his presence can naturally disturb Karma, making divination techniques easily ineffective."

"I heard that some masters have an Immaculate Body, filth cannot approach them, evil spirits and demons cannot touch them, they are immune to cold and heat, all kinds of spells are greatly weakened against them, and even curses cannot befall them, making them even harder to divine. Staying by their side naturally forms a shield..." the soldier said.

The officer, however, scoffed: "Immaculate Body? That would at least be a master of Dao Gate Fifth Grade or above. A single finger from him would crush all of us to death. Would he care about a mere Dragon Steed? People like him ride True Dragons!"

"So it's absolutely not this reason, it must be something else. What else could it be?" he asked again.

"Then... it's also possible that the Dragon Steed encountered a place with strong Qi, for example, it ran into a city with strong human Qi, or a graveyard with strong Death Qi. Being impacted by the Qi, its tracks were covered," he replied.

"That's possible, then let's look in that direction," the officer ordered.